Bed-bottom



UNITED STATE PATENT FFIQ.

PHILIP ULMER, OF CHARLESTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS.

* BED-BOTTOM.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 30,267, dated October 2, 1860.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PHILIP ULMER, of Charlestown, in the county ofMiddlesex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Spring Bed-Bottoms, called Philip UlmersAdjustable Spring Bed-Bottom,77 of which the following is a full andexact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,which form a part of this specification.

Figure l, represents a plan of a spring bed attached to the head andfoot rails of a bedstead. Fig. 2, shows in section the slat, rubberwebbing, oblong link, leather strip screw to which the leather strip isfastened, wooden end piece and bed rail. Fig. 3, is a section of a steelspring bed bottom, in which A represents the bed-rail, B the slat, Koblong link, F the leather strip and D the wood end strip.

In Fig. 2, the wood end strip, made of ash or other wood of sufficientstrength, is shown ruiming the entire width of t-he bedstead, to whichis fastened, by tacks or otherwise, strong strips of leather F, or anyother material that may be substituted, as represented by letter F inFigs. 2 and 3, and cut of the dimensions required to the underside ofthe strip of wood D at regular intervals. These leather strips arepunctured with holes in the center, as seen in Fig. 1, of sufficientsize as to pass over the head of a common round-head screw, as seen byletter N in Fig. 2. The screw is screwed into the upper side of thewooden end piece D and opposite the center of the leather strip F, beingexactly opposite where the end of the leather strip F is fastened to thestrip of wood with tacks. The screw N is left out a sufficient distance,to leave room for the thickness of the leather strip F between the headof the screw and the wood strip D. The wood strip D, is to be screwed tothe head and foot rails A, as high up as the bed-bottom is re-4 quiredto be.

B is a slat made of spruce, pine or any wood of sufficient strength,running nearly the whole length of the bedstead. In the center, at eachend of the slat, are grooves sawed across the width of the slat, intowhich are inserted pieces of heavy rubber webbing, as seen by letter Ein Fig. 2; one end of which is passed through the oblong link K made ofwire or malleable iron.

The two ends of the rubber are inserted into the grooves in the slat Band fastened firmly with nails, clenched through the ends of the slatsand rubber webbing. This being completed, the wood end strip Dcontaining the series of leather strips F, are screwed firmly to thebedstead. The strip of leather F passed through the oblong link Kattached to the rubber webbing E in the end of the slat. The leatherstrip F is then drawn over the head of the screw N. The head of thescrew is passed through one of the holes in the center of the strip F.After one end has been adjusted, the other end is to be done in likemanner, care being taken that the last end be drawn sufliciently tight,that the two strips or pieces of rubber webbing in the ends of the slatsbe stretched from their natural length, giving them the requiredtension.

The strip of leather F for adjusting the slats to different lengthbedsteads may be applied to steel or other spring beds as well asrubber, in different ways; one, as shown in Fig. 3. The leather strip Fbeing attached to the slat B instead of the wood strip D and passedthrough the link at the end of the steel spring. It also may be reversedin the rubber spring bed. The rubber may be fastened to a frame-work orto the bedstead and the leather strips, to the slat as in Fig.

It is a wellsknown fact, that in all bed bottoms heretofore in use, onevery great disadvantage to their general use, and a drawback to theirbecoming an article of commerce is the difficulty experienced in fittingthem to the various length bedsteads, without the trouble of measuringeach bedstead, or being made a poor lit. Having as my primary object theremoval of that obi jection, I find I completely overcome thedifficulty, as I can either let out or take up, at pleasure, by means ofthe strip of leather. Nor is this, the only advantage, the leather stripadds very materially to the elasticity and spring, operating like thethorough brace of a carriage. And still another important advantage isderived; after long continued use, should the rubber webbing lose anyVof its elasticity, and become elongated, it will be a very easy matterto take them up, by means of the leather strip, which operates like abuckle.

Having thus described my invention, I do not claim as new, or theexclusive use of the rubber webbing, the steel springs, or the (SCI Woodslat as they are Well known articles of length Slat may be madeadjustable to bedmanufacture. steads of various lengths, substantiallyas,

What I do claim as my invention, and and for the purpose specified. Wishto secure by Letters Patent7 is- 5 The combination and arrangement ofthe litnessesz rubber webbing, the steel spring, the Wood NORMAN lV.STEARNS, Slat and the leather strap by which one DANIEL SHARP.

PHILIP ULMER.

